RED OAK POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEIGHBORHD  WATCH

    The Red Oak Neighborhood Watch Program is a joint effort between the Police Department and the community.  The program is designed to increase community awareness, enhance individuals' power of observation and encourage mutual assistance and concern among neighbors in an effort to reduce crime.  In harmony with the philosophy of Neighborhood Based Policing, Neighborhood Watch encourages strong working relationships between patrol officers and the citizens they serve.  Additionally, a quarterly Crime Prevention Newsletter is published, by the Police Department, and distributed to all of the Watch groups with articles on home and personal security, local crime bulletins and law updates.
    Red Oak's Neighborhood Watch program focuses on education and awareness; Watch groups are not vigilantes and do not assume the role of the police.  Citizens are only asked to be more alert, observant and caring and to serve as extra eyes and ears for the police.  Each Watch has a "president" and some larger Watch groups can also incorporate "block captains" to assist in distributing newsletters and maintaining a community guide book.  The Red Oak Police Department is responsible for the development and training of new Watch groups, publishing the Crime Prevention Newsletter , providing street signs to qualified Watch groups and maintaining records of current Watch group contact persons.
Starting a Neighborhd Watch
    The first step is to determine the initial interest level in your neighborhood.  Any attempt at beginning an organized Watch group will not be successful unless a certain level of community interest exists.  Ultimately, at least 50% of the residents in your neighborhood will need to attend a Neighborhood Watch orientation/training presented by a Crime Prevention Officer in order to become officially recognized by the Police Department as an established Watch group.  At the neighborhood training, a Crime Prevention Officer will provide information on crime in your area, ways to make your home more secure, personal safety issues, Neighborhood Based Policing and when to summon the police.
    Citizen interest and involvement is crucial to the success of this program.  It is strongly suggested that you start by speaking with neighbors on your block to obtain a feel for how many people may be interested in attending a Neighborhood Watch training session.  After a substantial amount of community interest is expressed, it would be time to contact the Red Oak Police Department at 623-6500 to schedule your first Neighborhood Watch training.  That meeting, which would last approximately 90 minutes, could either be held in a private residence or a larger public facility.  From there, additional training's may need to be scheduled in order to eventually obtain the minimum 50% attendance requirement.  The geographical boundaries of your Watch group would be determined by yourself and a Crime Prevention Officer, at the time preliminary plans are being made for the first neighborhood training session.
Let's work together to make our community and our neighborhoods
"A SHADE BETTER"
Lets work together to "TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME"
NEIGHBORHD WATCH PROCEDURE
1. A representative/block captain of a targeted area should contact the Red Oak Police Department at 623-6500.
2.  The reprsentative/block captain will then meet with a Crime Prevention Officer to determine the number of homes represented in the target area on the date and time of the first Neighborhood Watch meeting.
3.  A Crime Prevention Officer will then provide the representative/block captain with Neighborhood Watch meeting invitations and the Neighborhood Watch pamphlets.
4.  The representative/block captain will then fill out and deliver invitations, pamphlets and a cover letter to each resident in the targeted area, announcing the date, time and location of the Neighborhood Watch meeting.
5.  A Crime Prevention Officer will then attend the Neighborhood Watch meeting with the representative/block captain and residents, explaining the requirements of the Red Oak Police Department Neighborhood Watch Program, including the merits of Operation Identification, Home Lighting and the proper way to report crime.

RED OAK POLICE DEPARTMENT NEIGHBORHD
WATCH REQUIREMENTS
5a. Attend a presentation on Neighborhood Watch (either by a Crime Prevention Officer or a trained block captain), thus making a commitment to report crime.
5b.  Complete a Burglary Prevention Checklist.
5c.  Participate in Operation Identification.
6.  The block captain will then go to each house in the targeted area.

BLOCK CAPTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

6a. Explain the program to those who did not attend a meeting, discussing the requirements of the program including the need for each resident to commit to reporting crime.

6b. Drop off Security Checklist, instructing the resident to complete.
6c. Drop off Operation Identification engraver; and pick up when they are finished.
6d.  Keep records of participating residents.
6e.  Act as a liaison to the police department.
7. When each resident has completed Operation Identification, the block captain will re-contact a Crime Prevention Officer with completed block maps in order to obtain stickers.

NEIGHBORHD WATCH STICKER REQUIREMENTS
7a.  If less than 50% of the target area participates, each participating resident will receive an Operation Identification sticker;
7b. If 50% or more of the targeted area participates, each participating resident will receive a Neighborhood Watch sticker;
8.  If the targeted area has 70% or more participation, a Crime Prevention Officer will then meet with the representative/block captain in the targeted neighborhood to help identify possible locations for placement of Neighborhood Watch street signs.

        NEIGHBORHD WATCH SIGN REQUIREMENTS
8a. The cost of the Neighborhood Watch signs will be the responsibility of the City of Red Oak.
8b. The Red Oak Police Department, in conjunction with the City of Red Oak Street Department, will assist the neighborhood in obtaining the signs.
8c. It is the responsibility of the neighborhood to maintain a minimum of 70% participation in the program, in order to keep the signs posted.
9. After sign locations have been determined, a Crime Prevention Officer will contact the City of Red Oak Street Department requesting confirmation of sign placement.
10.  A Crime Prevention Officer will also regulate the number of signs to be posted in any given area, taking into consideration the size of the area and strategical locations of the signs.

SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS
MAKE SAFER COMMUNITIES!

WHEN YOU SEE IT,
REPORT IT!